Barnsley will be eager to return to winning ways on the road when they travel to Bury tonight.
The Club’s seven-match winning league run was ended just over a week ago at Gillingham but after bouncing back with an Oakwell success against Doncaster on Saturday they will be hoping to do the same away from home come Tuesday night.
Victory against Donny did see the Reds climb into 10th place however and only seven points now separates the Club and a play-off place.
Bury go into the game just two points and four places behind the Reds, after a revival of their own in recent weeks.
The Shakers had gone three league games without a win but back-to-back home victories in the space of four days against Sheffield United and then Colchester have seen them climb away from relegation trouble.
Those triumphs also mean Bury have now lost just one of their last five home League One games and following Saturday’s come-from-behind success against Colchester which saw them win 5-2 despite being 2-0 down after 17 minutes, they welcome Barnsley to the JD Stadium in confident mood.
Previous Meetings
Barnsley and Bury will meet for the second time in the space of just three weeks when the Reds travel to the JD Stadium on Tuesday night.
Earlier this month - in what was the first meeting between the sides since 2002 - goals from Sam Winnall, Marley Watkins and Adam Hammill earned the Reds all three points and with it their 28th success in this fixture.
The victory also ended Barnsley’s four-match winless run against the Shakers but with the Reds still without a win at the JD Stadium in nearly 47 years, they will be going all out to complete a league double against David Flitcroft’s outfit on Tuesday.
Bury meanwhile go into the game hoping to secure their 25th triumph against the Reds, with the Club’s narrow 1-0 success back in November 2002 their most recent in this clash.
Team News
Ashley Fletcher will be eager to make his third start for the Club on Tuesday night following his match winner against Doncaster on Saturday.
The strike was Fletcher’s second in a Barnsley shirt since joining the Reds on loan from Manchester United earlier this season and he will be hoping it is enough to see him included in the starting XI for the trip to Bury.
Elsewhere Marc Roberts returned to the side against Donny in place of Kevin Long and should start again at the JD Stadium, but the Reds could be without full-back Aidy White who left the field after just 25 minutes on Saturday and will be replaced once again by George Williams. Full-back White's x-ray
Hosts Bury, meanwhile, could make several changes after their second-half fightback against Colchester on Saturday.
Chris Hussey, Tom Pope and former Tyke Reece Brown were all introduced at half-time against the U’s and after helping the Shakers secure a 5-2 victory, they will all be pushing for a start against the Reds.
Two players who will not be involved however are ex-Barnsley winger Kelvin Etuhu and goalkeeper Rob Lainton, who are out with hamstring and groin injuries respectively.
Man in the Middle
Barnsley will be hoping to end a six-match losing streak in the company of referee Carl Boyeson on Tuesday night. Since the Reds’ 2-1 win against Coventry back in January 2011, the Club have lost all six meetings with Boyeson, the most recent of which came in October.
On that occasion a solo goal from Jamie Proctor earned all three points for Fleetwood at Oakwell. That loss was Barnsley’s eighth defeat when the East Yorkshire-based official has been in charge, with the Reds winning just three of the 11 clashes when Boyeson has been at the helm.
Bury meanwhile; have won just one of their nine meetings with the 46-year-old referee. That sole victory did come last season however, with the Shakers defeating Carlisle 2-1 in January 2015. More recently and the Lancashire-based outfit drew 2-2 at home to Swindon in August, which is one of five draws for Bury in Boyeson’s company; the other three ending in defeats.
In the Shakers draw against Swindon, the Yorkshireman brandished just one yellow card but so far this term he has dished out 74 yellow cards and three reds in total.
Their Star Man
Striker Leon Clarke may have been Bury’s stand-out player this season after finding the back of the net 16 times but in Chris Hussey, the Shakers have another man who has been at the top of his game.
The versatile full-back – who joined the Club from Burton Albion in July 2014 – has been a regular for David Flitcroft’s side this time out, making 36 appearances so far. The former Coventry man appeared 42 times for the Shakers last season but had to wait for this campaign to net his first goal for the Club; striking Bury’s third in their entertaining 4-3 victory against Blackpool in October.
That goal may be Hussey’s only strike for the Shakers so far but the energetic defender has seven assists to his name this term; making him the most productive full-back in the division. The ex-Woking trainee has also helped the Lancashire side keep 10 clean sheets this season including one in their FA Cup derby success at Rochdale in early December.
With that defensive nous and the ability to create chances for his team mates, 27-year-old Hussey will be key in the coming weeks and months as the Shakers push hard to move up the League One ladder.
Mutual Man
In January 2007 Barnsley completed the signing of former Huddersfield Town midfielder Dwayne Mattis for a fee in the region of £50,000. The then 25-year-old joined the Reds from a League Two Bury side, where he had spent two-and-half years, making 109 appearances following his move from boyhood Club Huddersfield in June 2004.
The former Republic of Ireland U21 international scored 17 times for the Shakers including four in his first nine matches for the Club. He ended that first campaign with eight goals to his name and after notching another five in the 2005-06 season, potential suitors began to register their interest. He hit another four at the start of the following campaign with his strike against Chester the last he would score for Bury ahead of his move to Barnsley.
The Huddersfield-born midfielder began life at Oakwell with a 1-0 loss at Preston and with further defeats against Colchester and Southampton coming in his only three appearances of the season; it was not the best of starts for Mattis in South Yorkshire.
The powerful midfield man started the Club’s 2-0 League Cup defeat against Newcastle at the beginning of the 2007-08 season but a loan move to League One side Walsall was then arranged with Mattis in need of first-team football. Following four appearances for the Saddlers however, the former Shaker returned to Oakwell in October 2007 after breaking his leg.
After recovering from that injury, Mattis made an appearance from the substitute’s bench in a 3-0 defeat at Cardiff but that would prove to be his final involvement in a Reds shirt and in June 2008 he left the Club by mutual consent.
Mattis returned to Walsall for a two-year stay after leaving Oakwell, before spells with Chesterfield – where he won the League Two title - and Macclesfield, who remain his most recent Club despite leaving them in 2012.
Form Guide
Bury’s last five at home: (LDLWW)
Bury 2-3 Walsall
Bury 0-0 Crewe Alexandra
Bury 1-3 Hull City (FA Cup)
Bury 1-0 Sheffield United
Bury 5-2 Colchester United
Barnsley’s last five away from home: (WWWWL)
Shrewsbury Town 0-3 Barnsley
Bradford City 0-1 Barnsley
Swindon Town 0-1 Barnsley
Fleetwood Town 1-1 Barnsley (Barnsley won on penalties; JPT)
Gillingham 2-1 Barnsley
Going to the match?
Bury plays at the JD Stadium, its address is as follows:
Bury Football Club, Gigg Lane, Bury, Lancs, BL9 9HR
How to get there
By Car:
From the M66 (Junction 3): (2.5 Miles to the ground) leave the Motorway at Junction 3 (preferred route as this avoids the town centre). From the bottom of the slip road turn onto Pilsworth Road. This road curls around a large ASDA Supermarket, continue straight on around the mini roundabout (McDonalds on the corner) and continue straight ahead.
Pilsworth Road merges with Croft Lane soon after with no visible indication. After approx. 1.1 miles, the road comes to a ‘T’ junction with Hollins Lane and Hollins Brow. Carry on in the same direction and onto ‘Hollins Brow’, this road then curls round to the right before meeting Manchester Road and traffic lights at the bottom of the hill. Turn right onto Manchester Road and continue towards the ground for approx. 1.2 miles.
Gigg Lane is on the right hand side (Redvales Playing Fields on the left). The ground is well signposted. Once you turn onto Gigg Lane, the JD Stadium can be found approx. 200 yards up the road on the right hand side.
From the M60 (Junction 17 – signposted A56 Whitefield & Prestwich): (3.4 miles to the ground) Leave the motorway at junction 17 and follow the signs for Bury (A56 Bury New Road). Continue in this direction for approx. 3.1 miles. This road will eventually merge with Manchester Road with no obvious signs.
Continue along Manchester Road and Gigg Lane is on the right hand side (Redvales Playing Fields on the left). The ground is well signposted. Once you turn onto Gigg Lane, the JD Stadium can be found approx. 200 yards up the road on the right hand side.
By Train & Bus:
There are no Train Stations in Bury. The nearest main line station is Manchester Piccadilly or Manchester Victoria. The Metrolink Tram system operates from both and is a direct service to Bury. Once you exit the Metrolink Station in Bury, the ground is a good 15 minute walk.
The 135 Bus Service also departs from the same station and drops on Manchester Road at the bottom of Gigg Lane (Every 15 minutes service). Taxis are also on hand outside the Interchange Tram/Bus Station. To walk to Gigg Lane. Come out of the Tram exit, up the stairs and turn right. Cross the Dual Carriage Way (Angouleme Way) and head down Market Street (Bury College is on both sides of the road). At the bottom of the road, continue over the mini roundabout and continue down Market Street until you come to Bury Cemetery Gates – this is Gigg Lane, the Stadium can be found by turning right and walking for approx. 500 yards.